Where We Left Off
by keulloi
Summary: A new school year means new opportunities. Could this include love, too?


"Welcome to a new school year, class. We're going to start with determining your seats. Come up and draw a number out of this box and move to the respected seat. Understood?" The teacher says, gathering a collective "yes" from the class.

Kuroko walked to the end of the line with Kagami.

"I hope I sit in the back. The guy behind me last year was always whining because he can't see the board over me." Kagami sighed.

"I wish I had a window seat. Sitting in the middle of the room is boring." Kuroko responded.

Kuroko got to the front of the line and inserted his hand into the box. Pulling out the number "27," he stepped out of line to look at the outline on the board.

 _'Not a window seat'_ Kuroko sighed. _'But at least it's close to a window.'_

"What number did you get?" Kagami asked.

"27. What about you, Kagami-kun?"

"5. Looks like I'm behind you in the last row." Kagami held his fist up for a fist bump.

Kuroko tapped his small fist against Kagami's huge one. "At least you won't block anyone since you're in the back."

Kagami laughed. "Imagine how Murisakibara feels."

Gathering their things, they walked to their new seats and sat down. Kuroko was one seat away from the window, so he still had a clear view of the outside world through his seat. He closed his eyes as the breeze blew in through the open window.

Until someone sat down in the seat in between him and the window.

She had medium length brown hair with her bangs clipped to the right side of her head with a simple bobby pin. The sun shined on her beautiful, porcelain-like features, accenting them even more. He watched as her long, nimble fingers took out a notebook and a thin, blue, striped pencil bag. Her large light pink eyes stared at the board in front of her until she felt a pair of eyes staring at her.

Turning to her right, she encountered a pair of light blue eyes staring at her.

"Hi." She smiled at him. "I'm Houdo Asami. I guess I'm your new seat partner." She laughed.

Kuroko was lovestruck. She was just so beautiful he couldn't find his voice. But _her voice,_ on the other hand, was _angelic_.

Noticing Kuroko's speechlessness, Kagami discreetly kicked Kuroko's chair from behind him, startling him.

"I'm Kagami Taiga, and this is Kuroko Tetsuya." Kagami said from behind him, saving Kuroko from embarrassment.

"I-I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you." He said once he found his voice.

"Nice to meet you both," she responded, and went back to looking out the window.

Kagami gave Kuroko a teasing stare and pointed to his tomato-like cheeks, while Kuroko shook his head and directed his attention to the front of the class.

Needless to say, Kuroko's cheeks remained tomato-like for the rest of the class period.

* * *

"You're lucky I saved your butt back there." Kagami said to Kuroko during practice as they changed into athletic clothes in the locker room. "She would've thought you were weird."

"Thank you, Kagami-kun. I owe you one. But she probably already thinks I'm weird." Kuroko sighed.

"What's this?" Hyuuga said as he draped his arms over the two boy's shoulders. "Is someone having some lady problems?"

"There's this girl who sits next to Kuroko, and he's totally in lo-" Kagami flinched as Kuroko punched in the stomach.

"Kuroko likes a girl?!" Koganei screamed, gathering the attention of everyone on the team.

Being bombarded with questions, Kuroko quickly changed and squeezed his way out of the circle the team made around him and his locker, and ran out to the court.

 _'This is going to be a long day...'_ Kuroko sighed.

* * *

Months past since Kuroko's fateful meeting, and they talked to each other more and more each day, and he found himself falling more and more in love with her with each conversation.

However he didn't much about her. He knew she was beautiful, and that she had pretty handwriting and that her grades were the top of the class, but he didn't know much about her besides the obvious things.

But then, their teacher came in with a homework assignment that felt like a miracle sent down from God himself.

"Class, today, your homework is a partner project so you can get to know more about your seat partner, and you'll write a two page essay on your partner."

Kuroko almost jumped in excitement. He finally got to work with the beautiful girl next to him and get to know her.

"I guess we're partners then?" She smiled. "Want to go to my house afterschool so we can work on it?"

"Sure, that would be nice. But I have basketball practice." Kuroko said.

"I don't mind waiting a couple hours. Can I watch?" Asami asked.

"Of course."

* * *

"Riko-san, can my friend watch practice today? We have to work on a project at her house after practice." Kuroko asked.

"Yeah, sure. No problem." Riko smiled.

"Sorry for intruding!" Asami bowed.

"I-It's nothing! You don't need to bow!" Riko laughed. "You can sit on the bench or on the stage and watch. You can play with Nigou, too, if you want."

"Nigou?" Asami asked. Just then, a bark caught her attention as a dog sat right by Asami's feet.

"This is Nigou," Kuroko said, picking the dog up. "my dog."

"He's so cute!" Asami said. "He looks like you, too, Kuroko-kun!"

The dog barked, and Kuroko put him in her arms. Nigou barked again and licked her face all over while she laughed.

"I'm going to change now. Sorry you have to wait, Houdo-chan." Kuroko apoligized.

"No problem!" She smiled at him.

Asami was too busy playing with Nigou during their practice to notice the teasing looks the players were giving Kuroko during the entire practice.

* * *

"Good work today guys!" Riko shouted as they exited the gym.

"Good work!" The team shouted back.

"Shall we go, Kuroko-kun?" Asami asked, handing Kuroko his bag that he left with her during practice.

"Yes." He put Nigou in his bag and left the zipper open so his head could pop out.

They started walking in the direction of Asami's house, making some light chit-chat on the way, with the occasional bark from Nigou.

"We're here!" She said, walking to the door of a two story, light brown house. "I think my mom and sister are home, but don't worry, they're nice."

Kuroko nodded his head, nervously. "O-Okay."

"I'm home!" Asami said as she walked through the front door.

"Onee-chan!" a little girl with the same brown hair and pink eyes ran and hugged her legs.

"Welcome home, Asami." Her mother said from the living room.

"I have to do a project with my friend right now, so we'll be in our room."

The little girl looked behind her older sister. "Onee-chan? No one's there."

"Excuse me, but I'm here." Kuroko said. Her younger sister and mother jumped a little bit as her younger sister politely bowed to the blue-haired boy.

"I'm Houdo Setsuna. Nice to meet you," she said as she bowed ninety degrees.

"I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Nice to meet you, too." He smiled to the little girl. "I'm Kuroko Tetsuya. Sorry for the intrusion, Houdo-san." He said, bowing to the brown haired woman. Kuroko could see who Asami got her beautiful features from.

"No need to be so formal. Welcome to our home, Kuroko-kun." She smiled.

Nigou barked from Kuroko's bag, wanting to get out.

"Doggy!" Her younger sister said.

"You can let him out, we don't mind. We have a dog of our own. She's probably sleeping somewhere, though." Her mother laughed.

"Okay." Kuroko took the small dog out of his bags, and let his little sister hold him.

"Let's go to my room. We can work there." Asami said, motioning for Kuroko to follow her up the stairs.

They both entered her room, which was the typical girl's bedroom. Hardwood floor, a circle pink rug with a table and two cushions, a bed with light pink blankets and a white pillow, a desk, a closet, and a upright piano against the wall.

"Make yourself comfortable. Would you like some tea?" she offered as she put down her things.

"Yes, please."

She made her way back downstairs as Kuroko sat on one of the cushions. Looking around her room, he noticed she was a very tidy girl. Her room was very clean.

He noticed a small bed near her bed with a small dog sleeping on it. He walked closer to it and pet it's fluffy fur. Was it a shih tzu? The dog woke up and yawned. It's golden eyes looked up into Kuroko's blue ones as she stood up and walked towards Asami, who had come back with tea.

"This is Michi." Asami said as she walked back into the room and set the tea cups on the table.

"She's very cute." Kuroko said.

"Yeah. We found her on the street and decided to take her in." She explained as she rubbed the dogs head.

"That's also how I found Nigou." Kuroko said.

"Really?" She laughed. "We have a lot in common."

He blushed. "Y-Yeah."

"Let's get started."

* * *

"How long have you been playing basketball, Kuroko-kun?"

"Since elementary school."

"You went to Teiko in middle school right? I heard they were really good." She said.

"Yeah. We drifted apart a little bit but everyone's close now." He explained.

"That's good. It's nice you're still friends." She smiled.

Kuroko didn't know what to ask. What do you ask a girl who's perfect in every way?

"Um," he started, "do you have any hobbies?"

"I like to play the piano, and I like to read as well. I also really like watching movies." She said.

"After we finish this project, can you play piano for me?" He cleaned his throat, "If you want to. If you don't want to you don't have to." He blushed. "I just really want to hear you play the piano."

"Sure." She smiled."

* * *

As promised, after they finished their project, Asami made her way to the piano bench. Kuroko stayed seated in his cushion as he watched her stretch her fingers.

"Enjoy," she said as she looked at him.

He watched as her fingers quickly glided across the keys and as her eyes closed in relaxation. Then, as the song reached intensity, her eyes flickered open and her body leaned forward.

He was completely washed over by the music. He wasn't a giant classical music fan, but after hearing her playing, he felt like he could listen to her for the rest of his life.

Then she ended the song with a loud low note, with her body leaning over the piano.

Asami took her fingers off the keys and turned around back at him.

"Did you like it?" she asked, shyly.

He couldn't do anything but nod. "Y-yeah. It was amazing. What song was that?"

"That was Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin." she smiled. "Would you like to learn? Maybe not this particular song, but something easier?" she asked.

"Okay." Kuroko got up and walked towards the piano bench and sat next to Asami.

"Have you ever played piano before?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Okay," she started to think, "I'll teach you Mary Had a Little Lamb."

She started to teach him which keys to press with which fingers, and soon a melody started arising. Kuroko would look from the keys, to her face, and back to the keys with red cheeks. Her fingers would occasionally touch his as she gently held his hand to direct his fingers to the right keys. Kuroko couldn't help but wonder how small her hand was compared to his. He also couldn't help but wonder how her fingers would feel interwinded in his. Kuroko found himself unconciously scooting closer and closer to her on the piano bench until their legs were touching.

"Do you think you can play it without my help?" she asked. He nodded.

He started to play the song by himself, and he heard her play the countermelody with him on the lower register.

The short song finished, and they both looked at each other and laughed.

"You did really good, Kuroko-kun!" She said.

"Thank you for teaching me, Houdo-chan." He smiled at her.

He got lost in her pink eyes, and they both realized how close they were sitting. However, neither of them made any attempt to scoot away. Kuroko took a chance and leaned in and kissed her lightly on the cheek and pulled away.

They both blushed, and Kuroko held her hand gently in his as he leaned closer to her. Her eyes started to close as she leaned closer to him as well. His lips barely brushed hers when her bedroom door flew open and a little voice shouted.

"Onee-chan, dinner is ready!" Kuroko and Asami both jumped away from each other, both falling off the piano bench in the process. "Mom said Kuroko-kun can stay, too!" Then her sister left the room with Nigou and Michi trailing after her.

They both looked at each other and laughed. Kuroko got up first and helped her up. He gently kissed her on the forehead as he led her down to the dining room, with the smell of food wafting through the house.

* * *

"Thank you for dinner, Houdo-san. It was delicious." Kuroko smiled.

"No problem! Come by again!" Her mother smiled.

"Bye Kuroko-kun! Bye Nigou!" Asami's sister smiled, hugging both of them.

"I'll walk you out." Asami said.

Kuroko and Asami walked out to the sidewalk in front of her house when Kuroko told her she didn't have to walk him to the station.

"See you at school tomorrow, Kuroko-kun." She smiled.

"Yeah, see you." Kuroko turned around and walked away, before he stopped and turned around to see her walking towards the door.

Kuroko quickly ran towards her and put his on her shoulder, catching her attention.

"Kuroko-kun?" she said as she turned around.

He gently held her hand with one hand and put the other hand on her cheek.

"Can we continue where we left off?" He asked, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

She blushed, and nodded.

He leaned in and closed the gap between the both of them.


End file.
